DHAKA, Apr 27 (V7N)- In a move prioritizing environmental protection, the government has decided to halt the leasing process for 17 out of the country's 51 stone quarries.

The decision, made at a meeting today chaired by Adviser Muhammad Faozul Kabir Khan at the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, stipulates that no leases will be granted for quarries currently under court injunctions or located within designated Ecologically Critical Areas (ECA). Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan and Home Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd.) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury were also present at the meeting.

Furthermore, to preserve their natural beauty, leasing activities will remain suspended in the Bhulagonj, Utmachaora, Ratanpur, Bichanakandi, and Lovachora stone quarries of Sylhet district.

The meeting also resolved that obtaining an Environmental Clearance Certificate from the Department of Environment will be a mandatory prerequisite for approving leases for the remaining quarries.

Local administrations have been instructed to take legal action against those directly involved in illegal stone extraction, rather than targeting the laborers. Additionally, illegally extracted stones will not be permitted for sale; instead, they will be channeled for government construction projects through customs.

In response to this decision, Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan expressed her gratitude to the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources and suggested that a similar policy could be implemented to regulate unregulated sand extraction. She emphasized that these measures would safeguard the environment and public interest while ensuring the lawful utilization of natural resources like sand and stones. Supplying illegally extracted stones for government use would also serve as a deterrent to illegal extraction, Rizwana added. She also noted the enhanced preparedness of the Department of Environment to take appropriate actions for environmental and ecosystem protection.

It is worth noting that the Energy and Mineral Resources Division had previously suspended stone extraction from all quarries on February 18, 2020, until further notice. A subsequent decision on January 13, 2025, to lift the suspension raised concerns from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, leading to today's new decisions.

The meeting saw the participation of Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Dr. Farhina Ahmed, Secretary of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division Mohammad Saiful Islam, the Divisional Commissioner of Sylhet Division, the Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet District, and representatives from various ministries and organizations.

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